From the Liveblog of
Saturday, June 14, 2025
Trump told Netanyahu US could strike Iran’s Fordo nuclear site if needed, report says
Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
United States President Donald Trump recently told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would consider striking Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear facility if such a move would become necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, Israeli journalist Barak Ravid tells Channel 12.
According to Israeli officials cited by Ravid, Trump conveyed this message to Netanyahu in phone calls over the past several weeks. The Fordo facility may be beyond Israel’s military capabilities to destroy without outside assistance, he adds.
However, Ravid added that the White House has officially denied that Trump is considering a US strike, stating that now is not the time to launch an attack on Iran.
The issue will be a critical issue in the coming days and weeks, as Israel continues its newly launched campaign on Iranian nuclear and military sites, Ravid says. If Fordo survives Israeli airstrikes, Iran’s nuclear infrastructure will remain intact, says Ravid, adding that Tehran could even relocate the rest of its nuclear program to the facility, placing it beyond Israel’s reach and accelerating its path to a nuclear weapon.
According to the semi-official ISNA news agency, Iran confirmed that the Fordo site sustained limited damage from the recent Israeli attacks.
The Times of Israel Community.